SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN. 71 



Stupa as having been discontinued so late as the tenth or eleventh 

 century. 



The great Stupa at Sanchi is composed of earth and stone, and dates 

 probably from the time of Asoka. The railing followed soon after, 

 if not in his time ; and the South Gateway, according to Griinwedel, 

 about 150 B.C. The other gateways came later. There were originally 

 three stupas in this locality, two of which remain, as restored, and the 

 ruins of a third. As late as 1820 they were all three entire. 



Fig. 6, Plate X., represents the front of the left-hand pillar of the 

 Eastern Gateway ; and a slight idea may be gained of the structure of 

 the stupa from the portion of it which is shown behind this pillar. 

 The upper central panel shows a representation, to which I have 

 already alluded, of the Asoka Shrine erected at Bodh-Gaya. The 

 Sacred Tree is represented as emerging from the centre of this shrine, 

 and underneath it is the Vajrasan, like a relic casket, on which is 

 inscribed the symbol of the Trisula and Disc. Above the tree are 

 DSvas bringing garlands. On the panel immediately below is a 

 representation of one of the legends of Kasyapa of Uruvilva. This 

 Brahman was well affected towards the teaching of Buddha, but had 

 not yet become a convert. The river being in flood, the Buddha gave 

 an exhibition of the wondrous powers which he had attained, by 

 suddenly disappearing from where he stood and appearing on the 

 other bank. Kasyapa followed him in a boat, as shown in the 

 sculpture. It is notable that never in these older sculptures is the 

 person of the Buddha represented ; it is left to be implied. The 

 spirited representation of the water-fowl, the crocodile's head 

 emerging from the water, the lotuses, the ancient form of boat and 

 the divers foliage of the half-submerged trees represented are worthy 

 of note. 



Fig. 5, Plate X., shows the rear of the Eastern Gateway. On the 

 first crossbeam, remark, on the one side, the figures of a man and a 

 woman riding on goats ; on the other, on a goat and elephant ; also, 

 elephants bringing flowers to a stupa. On the second crossbeam, on the 



